Troubleshooting sync

Fixes for the sync problems that actually happen — red cloud icons, changes not appearing on another computer, stuck initial syncs — plus the sync FAQ.

The cloud icon is red with SB-R, SB-P, or SB-RP.

1. Click the icon and use “Retry Connection”. 2. Restart the app. 3. Restart the computer. 4. Try a different network (a phone tether rules out venue firewalls, which commonly block sync). 5. Still red? Open Help, download a Support Package, and email it to support@soundbase.app with the error code.

The cloud icon is red with SB-E (project error).

1. In the popover, click “Retry Connection”. 2. Leave the project (go to the home page), then reopen it. 3. Restart the app. 4. If it persists, send a Support Package. (Once the icon is green again, “Sync with SoundBase Cloud” becomes available if you want to force a re-download.)

“Sign-in to SoundBase Cloud expired” (SB-A). Log out and log back in to SoundBase. Your queued changes are held safely and upload after you sign back in.

Changes made on one computer aren’t appearing on another.

1. Confirm both computers show the green “All changes saved to SoundBase Cloud” icon. 2. Make sure both have the same project open — live updates flow to open projects. 3. On the receiving computer, click the cloud icon and choose “Sync with SoundBase Cloud”. 4. Restart the app on both machines.

The one-time initial sync never finishes / keeps saying “Sync encountered an error. Retrying…” Stay connected and keep the app open — it retries automatically. If it loops for a long time: restart the app (progress is safe), and try a different network. As a last resort, support may walk you through “Switch User and Clear Local Data” — never do this on your own if you have unexported local projects.

The app says I’m offline but my internet works. The connectivity check uses DNS; some venue and corporate networks block it. Click the offline icon to retry, and try another network. If a phone tether fixes it, ask the venue’s IT about firewall restrictions.

My project is read-only and editing controls are disabled (tooltips say “SoundBase Pro is offline”). That’s the offline lock for collaborative projects. (Older versions showed a red “Offline” button in the navigation bar instead.) Reconnect to the internet, or — while online — remove collaborators or set them to “Viewer” before going offline. See Working offline.

The blue download bar seems stuck near the end. The bar animates on an estimate and holds at 95% until the actual download completes. Large projects can take over a minute. Only worry if the icon turns red afterward.

The conflict warning keeps coming back (older versions). Resolve every listed item via “Show” in the “Project Data Sync” dialog, and make sure sync isn’t paused (“Resume Sync”). Repeated conflicts usually mean the same project is being edited from two places while one is offline — keep both machines online, or work from one at a time.

FAQ

Is my data lost if my subscription lapses? No. Your projects stay in your local database, and your cloud data stays in SoundBase Cloud. A lapsed license gates access to the app until it’s renewed and re-verified — nothing is deleted. The only way local data is erased is if you explicitly confirm “Switch User and Clear Local Data.”

Can I edit the same project on two offline computers? You can, but you shouldn’t. When both reconnect, edits merge field by field and the most recent edit to any given field wins — the older edit to that field is discarded without warning. Edits to different fields all survive. The safe patterns: both computers online, one computer at a time, or different projects per computer.

Does sync include my telemetry or monitoring history? No. Usage and activity records, sync progress bookkeeping, bug report submissions, and machine-specific details (like file paths on your disk) never leave your computer. Local projects never sync at all.

How do I force a fresh copy of a project from the cloud? Open the project, click the cloud icon, expand “Found a sync issue?”, and click “Sync with SoundBase Cloud” (“Try this first to reconcile your project with SoundBase Cloud.”). This re-downloads the project and reconciles it — items with genuine local changes are preserved, so it’s safe to use.

Do collaborators see my changes live? Yes. While you’re both online with the project open, changes propagate in near real time — typically within moments. If a collaborator is offline, they receive your changes automatically the next time they connect.

Do I need to save before quitting or going offline? No. Every change is saved to your local copy the moment you make it. Offline edits survive app restarts and upload automatically once you’re back online and signed in.

Can I stop one project from syncing, or convert a cloud project to local? Not currently. The cloud-or-local choice (“Sync data with the cloud” vs. “Store data locally (no cloud sync)”) is made when a project is created or imported and can’t be changed afterward, and there’s no per-project “unsync” — all cloud projects you can access sync to every computer you sign in on.

What’s a Support Package and when should I send one? It’s a diagnostic bundle you can download from the Help menu. Include it whenever you email support@soundbase.app about a sync problem, along with any “Error code: SB-…” shown on the cloud icon — it lets support see exactly what went wrong.